


Luminary

by charcoalwinter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Amputee Bucky Barnes, Amputee Original Character(s), Feel-good, Fluff, Gen, Hospitals, Inspirational Bucky Barnes, Not Beta Read, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, One Shot, POV Bucky Barnes, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Rehabilitation, Short & Sweet, Soft Bucky Barnes, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 18:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20295703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charcoalwinter/pseuds/charcoalwinter
Summary: WOTD 18-08-2019luminary [loo-muh-ner-ee]noun: a person who has attained eminence in his or her field oris an inspiration to othersadjective: of, relating to, or characterised by lightRecovered Bucky visits hospitals and rehabilitation clinics to spend time with amputee patients both young and old.





	Luminary

**Author's Note:**

> Based on dictionary.com’s word of the day. The underlined section of the definition is the part that I shall be following.
> 
> Disclaimer:  
I have not experienced -nor have I been close to someone who has experienced- an amputation. I don’t know the processes of rehabilitation for these instances and this is simply for creative and entertainment purposes only. However, if I have managed to offend anyone, please let me know and I will do my best to fix things.
> 
> I do not own Marvel or any of Marvel’s characters. The writing and the plot are my own work and all mistakes are solely mine. Please do not make any of the actors aware that this exists.

“Mr. Barnes! Mr Barnes!”

Hearing the young voice echoing down the hallway, Bucky spins around. The excitement and speed of the motion causes his messily braided hair to whip over his shoulder and smack him lightly on the cheek. He grins and makes a big deal of fighting it back into place behind his back.

The little monster calling his name bursts into a fit of giggles and has to stop her determined crutch-assisted hobble towards him for risk of falling over. She’s a lively, energetic girl, and one of Bucky’s favourite residents at the rehabilitation centre.

“Belle, how many times do I gotta tell you to call me ‘Bucky’?” he shouts as he strides towards her, where she leans on the wall for support.

There’s a nurse watching nearby, but once she realises there’s no imminent danger of injury, she tunes out to give them some privacy.

“Always once more, Mr. Barnes,” she snarks up at him, knowing full-well that no eight-year-old should sound as put-together as she often did. Belle was exceptionally intelligent and well-read for her age and she wasn’t afraid to let other people know it, too.

Bucky smiles and shakes his head. “Got me there, kiddo. Hey, how’s your rehab going? You looked pretty speedy on those sticks,” he nods at the bright-green-painted crutches that rest at her sides. He hopes the past week has been good to her, but if it hasn’t, Bucky knows that Belle will speak to him about it and then listen to his advice and encouragement in return.

Thankfully though, her smug smirk grows until her face is lit up with happiness, her slightly-too-big teeth on shameless display. “It’s great! I didn’t have a single nightmare, and the doctor said I might be able to go home and go back to school soon!”

“That’s awesome, squirt,” he says, genuinely thrilled for her and feeding off her contagious enthusiasm. “Why don’t we go for a little walk and you can show me how well you’re moving while we catch up?”

She nods and sets off immediately, leaving Bucky to jog a couple of steps to catch up to her, dramatically panting as she laughs at his theatrics.

They take a steady stroll down the clinical hallways, nodding politely at passing people and saying ‘hello’ to friendly faces. As they go, Bucky lets Belle ramble about her life since he last visited the long-term rehab centre, while also making sure she doesn’t start to lose her confidence or get too tired or wobbly.

“…oh, and the doctor also said that if I heal properly, I might be able to get a prosmethis… a prostemic… a prosletic…” Belle quietens and slows her steps as she tries to remember the pronunciation. Bucky waits her out, not wanting to rush her thought processes. “Mr. Barnes, what is it called again?”

“Pros-thet-ic,” he instructs, clearly and slowly, when she asks.

“Did you ever have a pros-thet-ic?”

“Yes, I did,” Bucky nods, trying to forget Hydra’s creation while marvelling over the intricacies and differences between Princess Shuri’s vibranium model and Tony’s wild take on the artificial limb. “I’ve had a few, but I don’t really like to wear them if I don’t need to. Learning how to get used to my new body was something I struggled with for a really long time, but I’m proud of it now and I don’t like to hide.”

“Do you think I could get one that I can take off? So that if I want to be free, I can?”

“Of course, Belle! I might even know a guy who’ll help you if the time comes,” he winks, conspiratorially.

She knows who he’s talking about and snorts happily.

There’s a minute where they walk in comfortable vocal-silence, the clack-clack-clack of Belle’s crutches hitting the linoleum floor and the rustle of their clothing the only sounds being produced for the world to hear.

Eventually, Belle starts to slow. “I wanna be like you, Mr. Barnes.” Belle stops her walking completely and stares down at where her left pant leg is tied up at the knee. “I want to be able to help people who are hurting and try to make it not so bad for them.” She looks up at that, her huge, brown eyes filled with so much hope and goodness.

For a moment, she reminds him of Steve back in the 1920s, fresh off a fight he had no chance of winning, but still feeling proud because he took the place of some other rascal who didn’t deserve the beating but couldn’t defend themselves.

“You’re breakin’ my heart, kid,” Bucky told her, laying his hand on her head and desperately trying to hold back tears. “If that’s what you wanna do with your life, you promise me that you don’t let anyone tell you ‘no’; don’t let bullies stand in your way.” He kneels down to be on her level so he can properly look her in the eyes. “Fight for what you want and what you believe in, and always remember where you came from when you make it to where you always dreamt you’d be.”

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

The second Bucky steps out of the lift onto his and Steve’s floor at the Avenger’s Tower, he’s faced with 6’2” of packed muscle barely disguised with a fitted tee and sweats.

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite one-armed luminary,” Steve smiles, wrapping his arms around Bucky’s form.

Bucky clutches Steve’s shirt with his right hand and huffs. “Who is your favourite _two-armed_ inspiration?”

With a straight face and serious Captain America voice, the answer is given: “Tony.”

“Steeeve,” he whines, laughing as he wriggles and makes a poor, half-hearted effort of pushing his boyfriend away.

Steve, ever the asshole, doesn’t let go. Instead, he squeezes tighter with one arm and reaches up with the other to stroke Bucky’s hair. The act reduces Bucky to nothing more than a human puddle, held upright only by the love that he previously believed he would never deserve again.

“How was your day, baby?” Steve whispers with a pressed kiss to the top of his head.

Bucky closes his eyes. “_Perfect._”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written in about an hour and has only been subjected to fifteen minutes of editing. I’m actually pretty proud of it, all things considered. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are welcome and appreciated very much.
> 
> xx


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